High-level U.S. negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are expected to arrive in the Ukrainian capital shortly after April 12, marking a pivotal moment in the Trump administration's efforts to broker an end to the four-year conflict with Russia.
Kyrylo Budanov, the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, confirmed the upcoming diplomatic mission on Saturday. The delegation, which is also expected to include U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham, represents the first official visit to Kyiv by the American envoys since they began mediating between the warring nations.
The visit follows a "positive" phone call between President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the U.S. team on April 1. During that discussion, the leaders addressed a proposed ceasefire scheduled for the Orthodox Easter holidays and the framework for long-term security guarantees.
"Kushner, Witkoff, and Lindsey Graham — those are the ones expected to come," Budanov stated in a comment to Bloomberg. "We’ve already moved forward on security guarantees. I think it will be implemented soon."
Diplomatic momentum had recently stalled as global attention shifted toward escalating military tensions in the Middle East. Recent airstrikes and naval activity involving Iran and the United States have complicated international energy markets, leading allies to urge Ukraine to suspend strikes on Russian oil infrastructure to stabilise global fuel prices.
Kyiv views this face-to-face meeting as a critical opportunity to finalise a draft document on security protections. Zelenskyy recently emphasised that these guarantees must be "workable" and provide a clear deterrent against future Russian aggression. While Witkoff and Kushner have held multiple sessions with Vladimir Putin in Moscow, this trip aims to balance the scales of the tripartite negotiation process.
Budanov, the former military intelligence chief who assumed his current role in early 2026 after the departure of Andriy Yermak, noted that the timing remains tied to the Orthodox Easter calendar. U.S. officials have acknowledged that while the trip is being finalised, security conditions on the ground will dictate the exact schedule.